Summer
by OhHaleYes
Summary: Alice and Rosalie are just two ordinary best friends. When the nephews of a local lady come to stay for the summer, they become friends with the boys. But secrets and feelings are emerging. And this friendship may not be so safe after all...
1. Smoothies

Rosalie has been my best friend since I can remember. Ever since I asked her if I could borrow her red crayon in kindergarten. Ever since, three years after our first encounter, she moved in next door. That had been our first summer together, making mud pies and searching for fairies at the back of Rosalie's vast backyard. Only now mud pies have been exchanged for something more toxic. And fairies mean very little to us now, its boys we're searching for. Now its a new summer. Maybe our last one, if we both go to different colleges. Only I don't think Rosalie wants to bother with college. She's wasting herself, but I don't want to start another argument, so I don't bring it up.

"Alice, can you go into the back and get a new box of straws, please?" Rosalie calls now.

We're stood behind the counter inside the tiny smoothie bar owned by Rosalie's uncle. He's away in Australia for the summer, visiting his brother. So Rosalie and I are in charge.

"Sure" I reply, disappearing through the open door that leads to the store room.

Its cool inside, and gloomy. There are so many boxes it takes me a while to check all the labels. Finally, I find the straws and deliver them to Rosalie. She smiles at me, and I rip back the cardboard, taking out the bundles of blue and pink striped straws.

"What time is the electrician coming?" I ask her.

"Not for another two hours" Rosalie pushes her long blond hair back behind her ears, and I feel a pang of jealously as I glance at her angels face. She always was, and always will be, the taller and the prettier one.

"I don't think I can last that long" I say, looking up at the broken air conditioner hanging dilapidated on the wall that is the exact colour of a sunset. Its our third day working here, and I've learnt my now not to wear much make up; it just slides off your face in this heat.

I go back to the other end of the counter, and check the fridge. We're running low, so I start to blend some fresh fruit. Whilst a bunch of berries and two bananas dance around the gleaming blades, I let my mind drift to tonight. We're going to a party, some guy from school who we don't even know. His parents are away, so he's invited everyone in school to come and trash his house. Only he doesn't know that bit yet. But I've been to parties like that many a time, and the outcome is never good.

"You better go and drop off Mrs Cullen's delivery" Rosalie says, looking up at the clock on the wall.

The smoothie shop also does deliveries, but not many people make them. But there's this one lady, the wife of the towns best doctor, who has been ordering the same batch of smoothies every week for two years now. I nod, and take the berry and banana concoction out of the blender. I watch the gloop pour smoothly into a tall glass jug, and place it on the third shelf on the fridge. Mrs Cullen's order is on the shelf above, and I carefully remove the three jugs before pouring their contents into paper cups.

"I'll pick us up some lunch on my way back" I tell Rosalie as I open the hatch at the end of the counter, holding a box filled with smoothies.

"Prawn sandwich and a diet Coke" Rosalie calls.

Of course. Ever since I've known her, that's what Rosalie has for her lunch. And I always have a huge bottle of water. I don't have an eating disorder or anything, I just don't eat a lot because I'm hardly ever hungy. This is the only thing about me that Rosalie has told me she is jealous of. She always holds up my stick thin arms and says that she wishes hers were like that. Rosalie doesn't need to be skinny; nobody looks past her face.

I knock the door open with my elbow and amble my way out of the shop, praying that I'm not about to trip over anything. Not that this is normally a problem; I'm extremely graceful. Since its a nice day, I take the bicyle to the Cullen house, which is all the way across town. In fact, I'm not even sure if its classed as being _in_ town, since the sign that proclaims "Welcome To Spektorville!" is just before it.

Its a small town, and everyone knows each other. I loose count of how many people yell "Hi" and smile at me as I cycle my way across scorching hot pavements. This is probably the hottest summer I've ever been through. On TV, even the guy who announces the weather after the news has to dab his forehead as he talks.

I park my bike at the end of the path when I reach the Cullen house, and run up the porch steps up to the front door. I ring the bell and step back. Behind the frosted glass, a figure is wavering in and out of focus. Esme opens the door, greeting me with the usual kind smile. Her caramel coloured hair is glowing in the sunlight.

"Ah, my order. Thank you Alice" She says, reaching out for me to pass her the box.

"Hopefully it'll cool you down" I smile, giving her the box.

"Hopefully" She nods, putting the box down in the hall behind her and digging around in the pockets of her lilac sundress. She passes me a few ten dollar bills.

"See you next week" I say, turning around.

"Oh, Alice!" Esme calls before I reach the gate.

"Yes?" I look back at her.

"I have two nephews of mine coming to stay for the summer. You seem like a popular girl. I was hoping you could take them under your wing? Show them the ropes around here" Esme says.

"Of course I will" I smile.

"Thanks. Bye, bye then!" Esme disappears into her house and closes the door with a clink.

Two nephews, eh? Wait until I tell Rosalie.


	2. Hangover

I'm lay on Rosalie's bedroom floor, still wearing last nights clothes. There's something sticky on the top of my dress, my knees are crusted with mud, and my make up has smudged all over my face. I can't even begin to wonder how I got in this state. The sunlight is filtering Rosalie's ruby red curtains, rippling in waves over the floor boards. I groan as I sit up; my head feels as though its clenched in an iron grip.

The party went just as I expected. I amazed everyone with my dancing, and met some scruffy looking artist boy who kept buying me drinks. Rosalie disappeared half way through the night with some muscular guy she had only just met. She has a bit of a reputation when it comes to boys. But nobody knows the real Rosalie. Nobody looks past the dazzling smile, short skirts and flirty personality.

After a visit to the bathroom, I make my way downstairs to get a glass of water. My throat feels raw yet moist. Its a feeling I'm used to, but its never pleasant. Its when I reach the third to last step that I realise somebody else is awake, too. The clattering gets louder as I get nearer to the kitchen.

"Why don't cha come on over Valerie, ooh, Valerie..." Somebody is singing.

I grin. Its Rosalie's elder brother, Riley. He's wearing a pair of faded grey jogging bottoms and nothing else. His sandy blond hair is swept across his forehead. I patter softly into the room.

"Morning" I say.

"Jesus!" Riley jumps about ten feet, dropping the pan he had just taken out of the cupboard. He turns around and scowls at me, "Don't _do_ that, Alice!" He snaps.

"Whats for breakfast?" I ask, sitting down at the dented and scratched pine table.

"I was just about to make a ham and cheese omlette, if you're interested" Riley offers.

"Sure" I yawn and itchy my hair, which I know probably resembles a bush that has just encountered a storm.

"There's some aspirin on top of the fridge" Riley tells me. He knows that I need it.

I get up and stand in front of the fridge, springing up on to my tip toes. Four foot and ten inches isn't very tall next to a fridge.

"Um, Riley. A little help?" I say.

"Oh" Riley chuckles, and reaches up for me. He's about the same height as Rosalie, even though he's now nineteen.

Fifteen minutes later, we're tucking into breakfast. Right on cue there is a sound like thunder as somebody tumbles down stairs. Jack comes flying into the room, wearing his blue pajamas. Jack is Rosalie's eight year old brother. He looks like what I always imagined Cupid to be like, but he's certainly not angelic.

"I want an omlette!" He yells. My head vibrates and I clutch it with a grimace.

"I'll make you one when I've finished mine" Riley promises.

"But I can't wait that long! I'm _starving_" Jack whines.

"Count yourself lucky that you don't have a little brother, Alice" Riley sighs. He gets up, sliding his plate over to Jack.

Jack doesn't even thank him. He just sits down and gobbles with such sickening sounds that he almost puts me off my own breakfast. It turns out that there aren't enough eggs left for Riley to make a fresh omlette, so he goes without.

"Oh my God, I am _never_ drinking again!" I hear Rosalie before I see her.

"You say that every weekend" Riley chuckles.

"Ugh, how can you eat?" She asks me, flopping down into the chair by my side.

"What happened to _you _last night?" I ask Rosalie. Her face lights up.

"It was probably the most amazing night I've had in ages. I think it was better because I wasn't that drunk. Oh Alice, you should have _felt_ what it was like when-" Rosalie is cut off by a cough.

"Excuse me if this sounds at all weird, but I'd prefer not to hear this from my little sister at the breakfast table" Riley says coldly.

"Oh, Rose, I forgot to tell you" I take a sip of the water I used to take my aspirin, "Mrs Cullen has two nephews staying over for the summer. She wants me - well, us - to adopt them. How about it?" I twirl the glass around in my hands.

"What are they like?" Rosalie demands to know, her tone tinged with interest.

"No idea" I stand up, "We had better go and get dressed" I announce.

Rosalie snorts, "I'm not going anywhere today. I think I'll watch a few Friends and 90210 box sets. Feel free to join me" Rosalie stands up too and we go back up to her room.

Rosalie has the comfiest bed I've ever lay on. The only thing is is that its very small, so we can hardly move when we're snuggled up in their together. But its still desert conditions, so we lie on top of the sequined ruby bed spread, which makes everything a bit more roomy. We're halfway through the third episode of Friends when my phone begins to vibrate. Rosalie grabs it before I do, but looks disappointed and passes it to me.

"Hello?" I say.

"Alice, I hope you don't mind my bothering you, but my nephews have just arrived" Its Mrs Cullen. I didn't even know she had my number.

"Oh. Well, I'm not feeling too well today. I'll drop down tomorrow though, with Rosalie" I tell her.

"Oh yes, Rosalie's a nice girl. Well thanks, Alice. Bye, bye" She hangs up.

"I thought it'd be that cute guy you were talking to last night" Rosalie sulks.

"I didn't get his number" I tell her.

"Then who was it?" She asks.

"Mrs Cullen. Her nephews have arrived, but obviously we aren't in the best state" I throw my phone back onto the table.

"Alice!" Rosalie jumps up, "Do you want to make the wrong first impression? Come on, get dressed" She starts rooting around in drawers whilst combing her hair at the same time. I'd bet my best purse that she's also planning what to wear on her first date.

"Fine" I groan.

I'm not really looking forward to this. My head is pounding, my throat is burning and I have a constant swooping sensation in my stomach. These boys had better be worth it.


End file.
